Two Wilmington College students earned internships with Hikma Pharmaceuticals as the latest manifestation of WC’s partnership with the Columbus-based company. Mamadou Barry and Xavier McDougle expect to enhance their backgrounds in science with the summer experience.
Barry is a junior originally from Guinea, West Africa, but he attended both high school and college in Ohio. He majors in biology with a concentration in health sciences and a minor in chemistry, while McDougle is a first-year student double majoring in chemistry and biology, with a concentration in pre-medical. A native of Fairborn, he has conducted more than 600 hours of microbiology research alongside Dr. Oladapo Fagbohun, an associate professor of biology at WC.
Dr. Russell Kincaid, professor of mathematics and physics and coordinator of the College’s Natural Sciences Area, expressed his excitement for the internships. “We have seen our relationship with Hikma grow over the last two years,” he said, noting it started with opportunities for students to tour the Columbus facility and continued with Hikma donating excess equipment that is now used in WC’s Cell Culture and Chemistry labs. “It has culminated now with internship opportunities for our students.”
Kincaid noted how both students stood out during the competitive internship selection process. “I am confident that Mamadou and Xavier will gain tremendous experience this summer that will help give them a jump start for their professional science careers.”
Hikma Pharmaceuticals is an international pharmaceutical company that employs nearly 10,000 people globally. In the United States alone, Hikma employs 2,165 professionals at its two research-and-development sites and four manufacturing plants.
PICTURED Xavier McDougle (LEFT) and Mamadou Barry are pictured in WC's Cell Culture Lab. They will spend the summer in Columbus engaged in an internship at Hikma.